Perfectly camouflaged saltie spotted lurking in 'ambush' position in man's video
Andrew Ucles was enjoying a spot of barramundi fishing with a client on the banks of a Northern Territory river when he stumbled on a massive salt water crocodile, and narrowly avoided becoming a snack himself.
The 4.5 metre predator was perfectly camouflaged among some logs in the crystal-clear waters of the Daly River. Upon spotting the wildlife conservationist, it moved to ambush.
Ucles said his 'heart stopped' when he spotted the saltie. Supplied
"The hair stood up on my neck. Most times I'm in their environment I have a sense of them being there, but crocodiles don't usually hide in that type of water," Ucles told 9News.
"I went down on the log because I had seen a massive barramundi, it was almost like I was being lured in. I came back up the embankment to put my spearhead on and in that time, 10 seconds, the sneaky bugger had moved into ambush position. When I saw that my heart just dropped."
The 31-year-old uploaded a video of the harrowing encounter on his Facebook page to highlight just how impossible the predator was to spot.
Salties aren't usually found in crystal-clear freshwater environments. Supplied
Following the incident Ucles and his companion quickly cleared the area.
"Where there's one crocodile, there's more likely to be another, you just don't know at the end of the day. It was just wiser to leave."
He has since issued a warning to all swimmers in the Top End and across Far North Queensland.
He's urged swimmers to be 'croc wise'. Supplied
"Be crocodile wise. They've been around for millions of years, they can outsmart us. They're not always going to be in brackish, murky water; these animals can also be in fresh, clean water. So always be aware.
Who is Andrew Ucles
Andrew Ucles is a wildlife enthusiast and survivalist, based out of the Northern Territory. He's no stranger to adventure, having previously walked almost 600km through Arnhem Land and becoming the first to document such a journey.
He's dedicated his life to learning about animals and routinely finds himself face-to-face with some of Australia's dangerous creatures: from crocodiles, and sharks, to snakes.
Contact Raffaella Ciccarelli: rciccarelli@nine.com.au
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